1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of transaction processing using a palmtop computer.
2. Background
As the components required to build a computer system have reduced in size, new categories of computer systems have emerged. One of the new categories of computer systems is the “palmtop” computer system. A palmtop computer system is a computer that is small enough to be held in the hand of a user and can be “palm-sized.” Most palmtop computer systems are used to implement various Personal Information Management (PI M) applications such as an address book, a daily organizer and electronic notepads, to name a few.
Due to the small size of such palmtop computers, they are convenient to carry in a pocket or purse. Unfortunately, they are also easily lost or stolen due to their small size. As such, it is generally undesirable to store sensitive information such as credit or debit card numbers in such a device. With the latest generation of palmtop computers, which include an internal RF transceiver, a user is able carry out many types of online transactions from almost anywhere. Such transactions typically require the user to enter substantial amounts of information such as name, address and credit card number. Unfortunately, the small size makes even the best data entry schemes somewhat tedious and error prone. Therefore, it would be useful to provide a way to utilize storage outside the palmtop computer to store sensitive information, while still permitting quick access to that information to facilitate transaction processing.